1-800-Its-Fraud

     I've been vicariously following a TV competition show. One of those where the in-studio audience and the one at home can call in to vote for their favorite performer. I don't watch these kinds of shows, because I don't care about a bunch of wannabes or has-beens.

     One show in particular has had several scandals involving the voting process. It is always interesting when one of the worst performers keeps getting enough votes each week to survive while the much better performers get bumped off the stage. In one case a mop-headed goof stayed on for a few weeks longer than he deserved, and in another, a group got together and gamed the system in favor of a dull, if talented, guy who went nowhere. The “loser” was a better showman and really put a lot of energy into his performances. In other words, he was an entertainer. The other guy, not so much.

     Now another show is suffering a voting scandal. This one involves dancers. This show has strained the definition of “star” to ridiculous extremes. Since when is an unwed mother whose own mother is a famous quitter a star? Well, it seems the show's producers were asking for it. The unwed mother went on through the show's entire run until she finally finished in 3rd place. It seems that Sarah Palin supporters discovered a “glitch” in DWTS' voting system and exploited it to telephonically “stuff the ballot box”. It was, in effect, election fraud.

     The Reich wing will claim voter fraud whenever they are on the losing side. While there has been evidence produced indicating false registration, ie: Mickey Mouse, those “fraudulent voters” don't show up to vote because they don't exist. One famous Reich wing hack was being investigated herself because she was registered in one state and voted in another. Means she was registered in two states at the same time. Can't do that.

     What is far more dangerous and is happening far more frequently is election fraud. Diebold voting machines, those produced by ESS and others, are notorious for losing or switching votes. They have touch-screens. Seems easy, right? Just put your finger on the screen to indicate your choices. The problem comes when you select the Democratic Candidate. The machine may indicate you voted for the Republican. If you try to correct it, which supposedly is possible on these machines, you might succeed, or you might not. But it doesn't matter anyway. These machines are not owned by the state. They are leased for the election.

     These machines run on proprietary software which can be programmed to switch a certain number of votes internally without the user's knowledge. They can also be hacked by outside sources which may then change the voting numbers. And here's the kicker...there is no paper record to confirm your choices. There is no paper trail to follow.

     The explanation from Diebold rings the most hollow of all: there is no way to print out the voter's record. Excuse me? No way? This is from Diebold who also makes ATM machines. ATM machines can print a variety of reports linked to your balance. You can get a record of the last 10 to the last 30 transactions, just by putting your card in the slot and using your PIN. But they can't make one that prints poll results?

     Further, the CEO of Diebold vowed to deliver the state of Ohio to G.W. Bush in 2004. I was in Ohio in 2004. I took a friend to vote that evening before the polls closed. It was dark and cold and rainy. I sat in the car, waiting for him to finish. The polls that night were so screwed up that they had to stay open for an extra two or three hours. That was because there were too few machines in the minority dominant neighborhoods while the more affluent ones had plenty.

     This was the plot of the criminal Secretary of State who was a Republican. Now normally, a Republican SoS is not a problem, but this one was also the state Chairman of the Republican Party in Ohio. There should be a solid wall between being an elected official and being the Chairman of the Party in one's state. You should be able to be one or the other, not both.

     Bush took Ohio by deception. People did not stand for hours in the dark and rain to vote for George Bush. I am convinced that Bush was never legitimately elected President. There are lots of others convinced of that, too.

     Any illusions you may harbor concerning Democracy in America are inoperable. Election fraud gives us terrible leaders in undeserved offices and an unwed mother an undeserved 3rd place in a dance contest.